People received prospects from border states

Tennessee football has built its strongest recruiting class of the past decade by attacking neighboring states and the backyards of SEC rivals.

That became abundantly clear when the Vols signed five-star offensive tackle David Sanders, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, out of Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 17. He chose UT over SEC powers Alabama and Georgia, among many others.

The day after the Vols sent four-star linebacker and Georgia native Jaedon Harmon from Alabama to UT in a battle between neighboring states.

UT’s 2025 class shot to No. 6 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, its highest ranking since the 2015 class finished in No. 4.

Ten of UT’s 23 commitments in this class come from states bordering Tennessee, including seven from Georgia, two from North Carolina and one from Alabama.

“Tennessee is unique among all the states it goes to and how close it is to so many great players — north, south, east and west,” UT coach Josh Heupel said Monday. “(The key to recruiting out-of-state players is) timing. That’s with coaches. It’s being able to get (recruits) here on campus, and then they get a chance to see what Rocky Top looks like.”

Getting out-of-state recruits on campus is half the battle

Heupel’s staff have built strong ties in neighboring states, and those relationships are paying off.

Once UT gets out-of-state recruits on campus, the chances of landing them increase dramatically. The competitive atmosphere at Neyland Stadium and the competitive NIL opportunities help seal the deal.

“I think recruiting success for us is not something that just happens in the last six weeks,” Heupel said. “I think there’s so much hard work that goes into it from your staff (and) your players here on campus who have long-term relationships with coaches. People are grounded.”

Heupel’s staff has been working overtime to recruit candidates from neighboring states while also bringing in top recruits from Tennessee.

The Vols signed edge rusher Caleb Herring, linebacker Arion Carter, defensive back Boo Carter and cornerback Kaleb Beasley from the Volunteer State. And four of Tennessee’s top eight prospects in the 2025 class have committed to UT, led by quarterback George MacIntyre.

WITHIN VOLS 2025 RECRUITING CLASS From QB George MacIntyre to five-star OT David Sanders

Here are notable recruits UT has brought in from neighboring states

But by beating their SEC rivals in their own backyard, the Vols have reached a new level in their recruiting.

Below are some notable recruits from neighboring states that UT brought in under Heupel, as well as the schools they considered before choosing the Vols.

DE James Pearce (Charlotte, North Carolina): Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri
WR Squirrel White (Birmingham, Alabama): Georgia, Auburn
DE Joshua Josephs (Kennesaw, Ga): Michigan, Kentucky
DE Tire West (Tifton, Ga): Georgia, Florida State
DT Daevin Hobbs (Concord, North Carolina): Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan
RB Cam Seldon (Browns Store, Virginia): Penn State, Maryland
TE Ethan Davis (Atlanta): Georgia, Clemson, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech
CB Rickey Gibson (Trussville, Alabama): Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss
DE Tyree Weathersby (Douglasville, Ga): Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi State
DE Jordan Ross (Vestavia Hills, Alabama): Alabama, Florida, Texas
WR Mike Matthews (Lilburn, Georgia): Georgia, Clemson, Southern California
WR Braylon Staley (Aiken, South Carolina): Miami, North Carolina
RB Peyton Lewis (Salem, Virginia): South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Alabama, Auburn
QB Jake Merklinger (Savannah, Ga.): Georgia, Michigan State, North Carolina
OT David Sanders (Charlotte, North Carolina): Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, South Carolina
S Lagonza Howard (Lyon, Georgia): Georgia, Florida
WR Travis Smith (Atlanta): Georgia, Alabama, Auburn
LB Jaedon Harmon (Rome, Ga): Alabama
LB Christian Gass (Covington, Georgia): Georgia, Southern California

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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